OTP: Better Public Transport to help solve Traffic Issues

OTP: Better Public Transport to help solve Traffic Issues

Tanakorn Sangiam

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning has stressed that its goal is to extend public transport coverage as part of the 20-year National Strategy to eliminate long-standing traffic issues, while highlighting the use of applications and platforms for public transport services at a journalists’ seminar.

At a senior reporters seminar held by the Economic Reporters Association, the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning’s (OTP) Director General Chayatan Phromsorn, has given a lecture on the development of applications and platforms to run public transport services. He stressed the Ministry of Transport’s objective is to develop public transport services with an emphasis on convenience, safety, punctuality, and reasonable pricing, which will help draw more people to use public transport.

He said the Ministry of Transport is the main agency responsible for the development of transport infrastructure, namely roads, rails, air, and water. The ministry also plays a role in regulating these services to comply with the required standards, as well as developing the surrounding areas in ways that will benefit local communities.

Mr Chayatan has given an update on the Metro Line’s construction in Bangkok, saying that construction has begun on 25 percent of the entire network, primarily150-kilometers of the four main lines of the entire 550-kilometer long network, while the remaining eight projects, with an entire length of 160 kilometers, are ready to be constructed.

Once completed, the metro network will help transport passengers within the capital, as well as commuters between the capital and neighbouring provinces. The OTP now expects all metro lines in Bangkok to be in operation by 2025.

Before that, the long awaited common ticket that can be used interchangeably between the MRT and BTS systems is now expected to be introduced to the general public this year. The ticket will be further developed to be accepted by all public transport providers.

The senior reporters’ seminar is held by the Economic Reporters’ Association Bangkok Bank, and the University of the Thai Chambers of Commerce, on a theme of new aspects of trade, investment, and services in the age of the New Normal.